A fighter plane named for a Canadian Second World War pilot hit the tarmac at Windsor's airport Thursday afternoon.
The Roseland Spitfire and pilot Dave Hadfield made a stop at Windsor International Airport on its way to an airshow in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.
Hadfield, who is the brother of Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield, said he's always amazed at how much emotion the plane brings out of people even today.
"I fly a number of well-known fighters... but when you say Spitfire, you get a different reaction," he said. "The Spitfire is the iconic World War II fighter. It was developed just ahead of the war when the war noises were coming from Europe and the people in England were getting alarmed. It was one of the main fighters in the Battle of Britain and it continued to be developed right through the war."
He said each plane from the Canadian Historical Aircraft Association, which hosted the event in Windsor, commemorates a Canadian. The Roseland Spitfire, in particular, is named for Arnold Roseland, who served as a military pilot in the Second World War.
"We picked an airplane he flew over 40 times, I believe, in the Spring of 1944. He was an RCAF fighter pilot and he actually was shot down and was buried in France," said Hadfield. "He embodies the sacrifice of Canadian pilots in World War II."
Hadfield said it is "an honour in every way" to pilot such an iconic aircraft. The Roseland Spitfire is the only one of its kind built in Canada.
"To be entrusted with this is a tremendous honour and a privilege but it's also a lot of fun to fly," said Hadfield.